Ranga's Marriage by Masti Venkatesha Iyengar

Class 11 English Supplementary Reader Snapshots
- NCERT CBSE Guess

Question Question
1: Do you think the narrator of the story Rangas Marriage approve of using
English words while talking in one’s mother tongue? Why / Why not? (Give
reasons).

Answer:
The narrator does not approve of bringing in English words while talking in one's
mother tongue. He considers it disgraceful. Moreover, using English words while
talking in one's mother tongue may create confusion if the other person does
not happen to know English.

Question
2: Why were people surprised to see Ranga after his homecoming?

Or,

Describe
the homecoming of Ranga. Why was it a great event in the village?

Answer:
Ranga's homecoming was a great event when he returned to the village Hosahalli
after 6 months. People rushed to have a look of Ranga. They were expecting that
Ranga would have changed after staying long in the city. Everyone hoped to see
an English educated young man. But they dispersed after they found there was no
change and it was the same person as he had been six months ago.

Question
3: Why did the narrator tell Ranga that the girl was married a year ago?

Answer:
Ranga asked the narrator curiously who was the girl that was singing. The
narrator wanted to check what was going on in the mind of Ranga whether he was
serious about the girl. So he told a lie that she was married a year ago. On
hearing this Ranga's face shrivelled with disappointment. Thus, the narrator
got his answer and was convinced that Ranga was genuinely interested in that
girl.

Question
4: There was a surprise on Ranga’s face and some happiness. What do you think
had caused these feelings?

Or,

What
could be the reason for this?

Answer:
When the narrator learnt from Shastri, the astrologer, that the name of the
girl Ranga was worried about could be Ratna, he was at once reminded of Rama Rao's
niece Ratna. He asked the astrologer if the there was any chance of the
marriage being fixed there, the astrologer gave a firm assurance. This caused
happiness and surprise on Ranga's face.

Question
5: Why was the narrator unhappy after hearing Ranga’s view on his marriage?

Or,

What
was Ranga’s view on marriage? Why was the narrator distressed after hearing
this?

Answer: Ranga's view on marriage were quite different. He didn't believe in arranged marriages. Ranga had no plans to get married
in the near future. He wanted to marry a mature girl of his choice, not a
child.

The
narrator was distressed after hearing this because he had in his mind that Rama
Rao's niece, Ratna, a pretty girl of eleven, would be the ideal bride for Ranga.

Question
6: Describe the feelings of Ranga at his first encounter with Ratna.

Or,

How
did Ranga feel when he heard and saw Ratna for the first time?

Or,

When
and how did Ranga have the first sight of Ratna? What was his reaction?

Answer:
Ranga was interested in marrying a mature and intelligent woman but he fell for
Ratna, an immature girl, at first sight. Ranga had the first glimpse of Ratna,
clad in a grand saree, while she was singing a song. Ranga liked Ratna and her
melodious voice. He also inquired with the narrator if she was married. He
became disappointed when the narrator told him that she was married a year ago.

Question
7: Why did the narrator ask Ranga to accompany him to Shastri, the astrologer?

Answer: The narrator had already planned
to get Ranga married to Ratna. Accordingly, he asked Ranga to accompany him to
Shastri, the astrologer. They would find out if ‘Guru’ and ‘Shani’ were
favourable or not. The narrator had already tutored Shastri before they reached
there. So when the narrator asked Shastri what worried Ranga, he did what he
was tutored to do. He replied that the cause of Ranga’s worry was a girl whose
name could be Kamala or Ratna. Shastri succeeded in arousing Ranga’s interest
in Ratna.

Question
8: How did Ranga honour the author (narrator) of the story “Ranga’s Marriage”
and why?

Answer: Ranga knew that his marriage
to Ratna would have not been possible without the efforts of the narrator. So
once he invited the narrator to dinner on the birthday of his son. He honored
the narrator by naming his child Shyama, after the name of the narrator whom he
respected.

Question
9: “There’s greater truth in the Shastra than we imagine”. What does this
statement of Ranga indicate?

Or,

“There’s
greater truth in the Shastra than we imagine”. Who said this? Explain this in
the context of the story.

Answer: This is a statement of Ranga
made after he came to know that his marriage with Ratna was just a
stage-managed acting which was conceived initially by the narrator. Ranga could
never realize that Shastri did and said as he was tutored to do by the
narrator.

Actually, Ranga was totally impressed
by the Shastri’s predictions. So after knowing the reality he declared that the
astrology was a science and Shastra contained greater truth than people
imagined.

Question
10: English was not so popular in Hosahalli. Do you agree with this, give
answer citing example from the story?

Answer: The narrator Shyama calls
English “A priceless commodity”. Very few people in Hosahalli knew English. The
craze among the villagers to see Ranga, who studied English in Bangalore,
proves this point. When Rama Rao told a woman selling firewood that he had no “change”,
she was confused.

Question
11: What did Ranga say when the narrator asked him to get married?

Answer:
When the narrator asked Ranga about his plans for getting married, Ranga replied
that he had no plans to get married in the near future. Ranga's ideas about marriage were quite different. He said that he didn't
believe in arranged marriages rather, he would marry a mature girl of his
choice whom he understands.

Question
1: What was the narrator’s interest in Ranga’s marriage? How did the narrator
arrange the marriage of Ranga with Ratna?

Or,

The
narrator made up his mind that he would get Ranga married to Ratna. How did he
accomplish this?

Answer: Ranga was the accountants
son, belonging to the village of Hosahalli. He was the first one to go to
Bangalore to study. To everyones surprise even after living in a big city for
long time, Ranga did not forget his manners and was very well behaved. The
narrator was impressed by Ranga and thought that he would be an ideal husband
for Ratna, Rama Raos niece. But the narrator was distressed when he heard
Rangas views about marriage and also that Ranga had no plans of getting
married.

Yet, he resolved to get Ranga married
to Ratna. To accomplish his mission the narrator arranged a meeting of Ratna
and Ranga in his house, without their knowledge. Ranga had the first glimpse of
Ratna, clad in a grand saree, while she was singing a song. Ranga liked Ratna
and her melodious voice. In fact, he fell for Ratna at first sight. He also
inquired with the narrator if she was married. The narrator told a lie to Ranga
just to understand what was going on in his mind and how much he was serious
about the girl.

The narrator then tutored Shastri, the
astrologer, to influence Ranga. The narrator then brought Ranga to Shastri's
place where he convinced Ranga that the cause of his worry was a girl, called
Ratna or Kamala. Very cleverly the narrator asked Shastri if there was any
chance of their marriage negotiations to be fruitful to which Shastri assured them
heavily. Here, the narrator succeeded in arousing Rangas interest in Ratna with
the help the astrologer.

The narrator could read other's mind and
situation perfectly. He knew how to create a favourable situation and convince
people. He played a very clever role in this story and ultimately succeeded in
bringing them together and making them life-partners.

Question
2: Why and how did the narrator bring Ranga and Ratna together?

Or,

Where and how did the narrator bring
Ranga and Ratna together before getting them married?

Answer: The narrator had made up his
mind to get Ranga married to Ratna, Rama Rao's niece, who had recently come to
the village. She was a pretty girl of eleven. She had come from a big town. She
knew to play veena and harmonium. She also had a sweet voice. Both her parents
had died. So Rama Rao has brought her home. The narrator thought that Ranga could
be the ideal husband for her. To accomplish his mission he conceived a clever
plan to bring them together. Ratna was quite free with him as he visited Rama
Rao's house frequently. The next morning he went to Rama Rao's house and told
his wife that he would send some buttermilk for her, so she should send Ratna
to fetch it. When Ratna came he made her shot in his room and requested her to
sing a song. In the meantime, he sent Ranga to his house. Ranga after reaching
to the narrator's house, had the first glimpse of Ratna clad in a grand saree,
while she was singing a song. Ranga liked Ratna and her melodious voice. In
fact, he fell for Ratna at first sight.

In this way the narrator brought Ranga
and Ratna together before making them life-partners.

Question
3: Comment on the title of the story Ranga’s Marriage.

Answer:
The title of the story 'Rangas Marriage' is quite appropriate and suggestive.
It at once sums up the theme of the story. The whole story moves around a
single central issue - Ranga's Marriage.

It
begins with Ranga's refusal to marry and ultimately ends with his happy married
life. All incidents contribute to the central theme. The narrator has presented
the working of a young educated Indian's mind and heart. How this man, Ranga is
easily influenced by the English way of life, Western culture and customs. He
wants to adopt them in his own life as well.

The
narrator, who is Ranga's well wisher takes deep interest in him and also takes
some active, well-thought steps to wean him away from the fantasy of love
marriage, by arousing his interest and fascination in a young girl, Ratna, just
eleven year old at that time. He makes Ranga fall in her love and agree to
marry her.

Question
4: Describe the village life as it is described in the short story Ranga’s
Marriage.

Or,

Describe
in your own words about the social and cultural life of Hosahalli citing
examples from the story Ranga’s Marriage.

Answer:
Masti Venkatesha Iyengar's short story 'Ranga's Marriage' is set in a rural background.
The narrator belongs to the village Hosahalli in Mysore state. He is proud of
his village and talks glowingly about it and its people. The village is a
typical South Indian village where the people speak Kannada. Most of the
villagers don't know English. They can't understand even a simple word like 'change'.
The village accountant is the first to send his son Ranga to Bangalore to
study. His homecoming is a great event. People rush to see if English education
has caused any change in their caste and culture in Ranga. The villagers see no
change in Ranga and even his sacred thread was also in is place.

The
people in Hosahalli believe in child marriages. The narrator considers Ratna, a
girl of eleven, suitable for Ranga. Astrology is a science that can be tutored
to influence people. The narrator is proud of the mangoes and the creepers in
his village. To him there is no greater place than Hosahalli. He says that Hosahalli
is to Mysore what the sweet 'Karigadabu's filling' is to it. The people are innocent, caring and loving.